Whether you're looking to help your students study science, get extra-artsy or delve into the past, field trips for middle schoolers provide an out-of-the-classroom way for tweens to get hands-on in the learning process. If your sixth, seventh or eighth grade class is considering a field trip in the "Lone Star State," Texas offers an abundant array of options across the area.

Super-Sized Science

Why keep biology, chemistry and physics in the classroom when you can take it to the real world? Texas middle school science teachers who are considering taking their students on a field trip may want to explore the state's science-focused centers and museums. The Texas Natural Science Center at the University of Texas at Austin provides guided tours that feature content in either geology and paleontology, fossils and gemstones or local wildlife. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History offers field trip packages for school groups of 15 or more in their planetarium, exhibits halls or omni theater. If you're looking to get your students out into nature, the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney has guided trail tours that feature content in ecology, geology and wildlife.

Artsy Adventures

Middle school art teachers and educators -- or parents -- who head a school club will find an array of artsy opportunities for field trips in Texas. If you're looking for a free option, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont offers no-charge tours for groups of all sizes. Although there is no fee for the guided tour, you must make a reservation with the museum prior to your field trip day. The Dallas Museum of Art offers both self-guided and docent-led tours for middle school student groups, featuring art viewing experiences that the museum aligns with the grade-level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The San Antonio Museum of Art offers themed 50-minute guided tours that feature subjects such as science and art, Asian art, ancient art and American works.

Acting Up

A field trip to a local theater provides much more than a chance for the drama club to see real actors at work. Literature classes can hear how Shakespeare sounds and history classes can take a trip back in time to visit other places and cultures through the world of the theater. Texas theater companies and performance spaces often offer daytime productions that are especially for students. These may, depending on the organization and the production, also include prep materials for the teacher to use in school before attending the field trip. For example, the Dallas Theater Center offers a student matinee series that features child-friendly performances such as "A Christmas Carol" and "A Raisin in the Sun." Likewise, Houston's Alley Theatre offers students the chance to see literary works on stage during special matinees. The Alley Theatre also provides a companion guide for educators that comes complete with curriculum extensions and ideas that are based on the current production.

Blast From the Past

Selecting a history museum or historical site for a middle school field trip can bring the past to life for your students. Whether you're looking to pad your classroom state history lesson or want to take a trip to another place, Texas offers a variety of options. The Bullock Texas State History Museum offers guided tours that match-up with the TEKS areas for middle school as well as a plan-ahead guide for fifth through eighth grades TEKS social studies curricula. If you want to take your class to visit a living piece of history, the Texas Parks and Wildlife department operates historical sites state-wide. For example, the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site offers Battleship Texas tours, site museum visits and hands-on deck activities on the battleship.

About the Author

Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. Her articles have appeared in "Pittsburgh Parent Magazine" and the website PBS Parents. She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.